About WokHei
Wok hei (镇气) — literally “breath of the wok” — is the smoky, faintly sweet aroma that only appears when food hits metal hot enough to caramelize it in seconds. It is the difference between a stir-fry and a great stir-fry, and it is what we named the site after.
Why this site exists
There is no shortage of Chinese recipes online. There is a shortage of honest ones. Most fall into two camps: recipes so simplified that the result tastes nothing like the dish, or recipes that assume you own a 100,000 BTU burner and live ten minutes from a proper Asian grocer.
We write for the middle. Real techniques, explained clearly, adapted to the stove you actually own.
How we write recipes
- Exact measurements. No “a splash of this.” Amounts, heat levels, and timings, because in a wok the window between perfect and overcooked is about twenty seconds.
- Where to buy it. We say which ingredients are supermarket staples, which need an Asian market or an online order, and which have a substitute that genuinely works — and when there isn’t one, we say that too.
- Technique, not shortcuts. We teach velveting, slurries, and proper wok heat rather than pretending they do not matter. The techniques section covers the fundamentals once so the recipes do not have to repeat them.
- Tested on a home stove. Standard American burners, a 14-inch carbon-steel wok, and ordinary supermarket ingredients.
Where to start
New to Chinese cooking? Start with Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry — the first dish most Chinese kids learn to cook, and a good way to feel what a properly hot pan does.
Want to understand the thing the site is named after? Read What Is Wok Hei before your next stir-fry.
Ready for a challenge? Dan Dan Noodles will teach you more about balancing chili, vinegar, and sesame than any other single recipe here.
Who publishes this
WokHei is published by Causivo, LLC. Corrections and questions are welcome — see the contact page.